The Farr Side: Calum Scott is latest entry in British Invasion

Thursday

Mar 15, 2018 at 10:34 AM

David T. Farr More Content Now

America has long had an appreciation for artists from across the pond. In the 1960s, it was “The British Invasion,” when artists like The Beatles, The Dave Clark Five, The Animals, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Rolling Stones and countless others dominated the U.S. charts. These UK artists changed the landscape

In the 1970s, Elton John, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and The Who had major success.In the 1980s, with Duran Duran, The Police, George Michael, Culture Club, Def Leppard and others were hot.

Today, Adele, Sam Smith, and Ed Sheeran have established themselves as major figures in music. They have direct roles in their music, from the songs they write, perform and record. And aren’t we glad for that? I believe this makes them stand out for the right reasons.

We can safely add another name to this list coming from Great Britain: Calum Scott.

His current single, “You’re The Reason,” from his debut album “Only Human,” features a duet version with fellow Brit Leona Lewis.

I learned of Calum like many did. His audition for the ninth season of “Britain’s Got Talent” in 2015 went viral. The young singer and his sister each auditioned in front of a live audience and judges, which included Simon Cowell.

His sister failed to move forward, an occurrence Calum took to heart. His performance followed and what happened was life-changing. Calum performed a stripped-down version of pop singer Robyn’s hit, “Dancing On My Own.” His performance was so moving. he earned a standing ovation from all four judges, with Cowell ultimately hitting the “golden buzzer,” moving Calum into the semifinals.

Cowell even proclaimed Calum as one of the best he had ever heard in tryouts.

I followed his progress. For the next few weeks, Calum ruled the show with incredible interpretations of well-known songs. He may have saved the best for the finale, when he took Jermaine Stewart’s “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off” and made it completely his own. He branded his style of blue-eyed soul with a modern pop flare.

Calum didn’t win that night, but when you can muster the attention he did, winning is almost secondary.

“Only Human” is an impressive album. It features “Dancing On My Own,” which became the biggest-selling song of the summer of 2015 in the UK.

“You’re The Reason” is as good as Sheeran’s “Perfect.” Calum’s vulnerability meshes well with Leona’s impassioned vocals, making for an extremely beautiful collaboration.

He co-wrote most of the album’s 15 tracks, proving he’s not a one-trick pony. “Rhythm Inside” is stellar, as are the songs “If Our Love Is Wrong,” “Only You,” “Won’t Let You Down” and “Good To You.”— David T. Farr can be reached at farrboy@hotmail.com. You also can find The Farr Side on Facebook.